Lanarkshire at the bottom as NHS posts worst ever A&E waiting times data
Only just over two thirds of patients are seen within 4 hours across Scotland
Last updated 18th Jan 2022
Waiting times in Scotland's accident and emergency departments are at their worst on record as the NHS struggles with the impact of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on patient numbers and staff shortages.
The latest weekly stats from the Scottish Government show slightly more than 67% of patients were seen within the target 4 hours in the week ending the 9th of January.
690 people waited longer than 12 hours.
NHS Lanarkshire recorded the worst figures with just 58.4% seen within the target time, with a similarly poor performance recorded in the Borders.
Only hospitals operating in the Western Isles and Orkney and Shetland exceeded the target of 95%, although NHS Tayside is by far the best performing health board aread on the mainland recording 92% for the week.
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The poor performance in Lanarkshire will come as little surprise following the recent move to restrict GP services to only the most urgent cases, as the situation in the health board reaches a state described as 'beyond Code Black'.
'Inept stewarship' - Dr Sandesh Gulhane
Responding to the figures, Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, said: "These worst ever A&E stats are a shameful indictment of Humza Yousaf's inept stewardship of Scotland's NHS.
"The tragic reality is that these delays lead to needless loss of life.
"How many wake-up calls does the Health Secretary need before he finally devises a coherent strategy to tackle the unacceptable emergency waiting times in Scotland?
"Yet his responses feel like a rearranging of the deckchairs on the Titanic.
"Instead of the detailed action plan we crave, we get desperate pleas for patients to go to GPs rather than A&E.
"This has simply added to the crisis in general practice - as we saw with the partial suspension of GP services in NHS Lanarkshire last week - while having no apparent effect on our emergency wards, which are beyond breaking point."
'Deeply worrying' - Jackie Baillie
Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, Jackie Baillie, said: "This is a deeply worrying development and it is clear that thousands of lives are being put in danger.
"Week after week we have seen all-time lows in A&E services but the SNP Government has failed to act.
"NHS staff are working incredibly hard, especially as the winter pressures start to bite, but they are being badly failed by a Government that is not adequately supporting them in their efforts to keep the people of Scotland safe.
"The Cabinet Secretary's lack of action in the face of this crisis has been nothing short of a dereliction of duty.
"This is unacceptable - action is needed now to stop lives being lost."
When asked about the situation in Scotland's A&E during a visit to a hospital in Edinburgh last week, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf warned of "really high staff absences" and said: "This is the most difficult period our NHS has ever faced because of the pandemic."
He told the PA news agency: "Look at the first week of January compared to the last week in December - there was a 65% increase in the staff that were absent due to Covid related reasons.
"So there are reasons for that performance, there are reasons for that pressure.
"What we're doing is investing significant amounts of money, and not just a £300 million pound winter package, which will help the situation, but I don't doubt that the situation would be a lot worse had we not invested that money."
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